


Migraine

by CynicalMistrust



Series: The Pattern of Feathers [8]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Big Brother Dean, Caretaking, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Domestic Fluff, Gen, Headaches & Migraines, Humor, Hurt Castiel, M/M, POV Dean Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 11:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4833167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynicalMistrust/pseuds/CynicalMistrust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>~Part 8 of Pattern of Feathers~</p><p>Sam, Dean, and Cas have been through a lot together. Now that things have settled down and they are no longer faced with a choice between their lives or the world, maybe they can start to put their lives back together again.</p><p>~Cas experiences the more painful side of humanity. Dean is there to help.~</p>
            </blockquote>





	Migraine

**Author's Note:**

> I highly suggest reading the rest of the Pattern of Feathers series as this has developed a plot that was not there when I first started writing these.

Nearly a month had passed since Cas had turned full, soul-bound human and it hadn't really taken Dean much convincing after that to lay low a while. Sam had taken it in stride and had already set up for several hunters to contact them for cases or information. He was on the phone with one of them when Dean returned to the bunker with their biweekly groceries.

Dean juggled several large bags in his hands and set Sam's baby-vomit-colored smoothie on the table. "Tastes like shit," he said, taking the bags to the kitchen; frozen pizzas and TV dinners, and the healthy things like vegetables Sam had put on the list. He put them all away before grabbing a beer on his way back to the main room.

Sam was still on the phone, but it didn't keep him from interrupting when it looked more like a personal call than business. "Where's Cas?"

Sam glanced up from his computer. "He said his head was hurting so I told him to lie down."

Dean raised an eyebrow and headed for his room. The lights were off, but he could just make out Cas' form on the bed. "Cas? You awake?"

"Yes..." Cas sounded tired and he let out a loud sigh as he shifted on the bed.

Dean stepped into the room, turning on the lamp they'd set up near the door and putting it on its lowest setting. "What's wrong?"

Cas squinted at the light, throwing an arm over his eyes with a groan. "My head is pounding and I can... hear my blood rushing in my ears. The light hurts."

"Sounds like a migraine." He adjusted the shade on the lamp to angle the light away from the bed. "I'll get you some aspirin."

He set his beer aside before returning to the kitchen, finding the aspirin in the cabinet and grabbing a glass of water. He stopped to pick up a cloth and soaked it in cold water on his way back. "Here. Take off your shirt, this will help."

Cas glanced up at him from beneath his arm. "Dean, I really don't think sex is going-"

"Whoa!" Dean stared at Cas a moment, not sure if he was more amused or insulted. "C'mon man, I have more control over my dick than that."

Cas blinked before glancing to the items in Dean's hands. "My apologies..."

Dean shook his head as he sat on the edge of the bed, tapping a tablet out of the bottle as Cas squirmed out of his shirt. He held it up to Cas' lips and gave him the glass. "Swallow this."

Cas took it and swallowed without question, taking several sips of water before sinking back down to the bed. He sighed softly and closed his eyes as Dean ran the cold cloth over his chest before pressing it against his forehead.

Dean stood and kicked off his boots, shedding all but one layer of his shirts and sinking onto the bed again, this time near Cas' feet. He shifted back and pulled a leg up to cross in front of him then adjusted Cas' legs to rest in his lap.

"Dean?"

"Mm?" Dean hummed as he pulled Cas' socks off. His fingers brushed against the bared foot and he jumped as Cas' foot twitched and he tried to pull it away with a strange gasping sound.

"Dean that... feels strange."

Dean laughed and massaged at Cas' ankle instead. "You're ticklish? How about that." It was fitting somehow, and only drove it home even more that Cas was... human and likely not going angel again. Could angels have a soul? Could humans become angels? Weirder things had happened, he supposed.

He shifted his hand to press his palm flat against Cas' foot, pressing into it and letting the flesh and muscles warm up to touch before pressing with his fingers again. He was rewarded with a soft moan and felt his lips twitch, running his fingers from toe to heel and digging in when he hit areas that seemed to help.

Cas eventually started to relax and breathe easier, the lines of tension and pain fading from his face and shoulders. Dean knew when the aspirin finally started to kick in when Cas let out a long sigh and his fingers uncurled against his chest.

With a last few presses of his thumbs, Dean pulled his hands away and shifted up the bed, picking up the cloth and turning it over so the cooler side rested on Cas' forehead. "Should be able to sleep now," he said, keeping his voice low.

Cas just nodded, already half-way there.

Dean left him to rest, snagging his beer on the way out. He could hear Sam on the phone and couldn't help but stop and eavesdrop. Surely he hadn't been talking to the same person this entire time?

"No kidding... Did you kill the bitch at least? ...Right, no, I understand, I'll keep an eye out. Absolutely... Don't worry about it. Let me know when you get more info or how it goes, will you? ....Right. Take care."

Dean waited for Sam to hang up before pushing away from the wall and rounding the corner. "New case?" He took a long drink of his beer and sat on the edge of the table near Sam.

"Yeah, down in Oklahoma. Sounds like something playing with a Sleeping Beauty curse, but that's just a guess."

Dean watched Sam, sipping his beer and trying to decide if that was a 'I might be interested in who I was talking to' smile or a 'I love helping people' smile. "Right. So, how many hunters have us on speed dial now?"

Sam glanced up, eyeing Dean and his proximity a moment before turning back to the computer. "I don't know, eight or nine. Garth has started recruiting it sounds like; he wants to set us up helping the next generation be ready."

Dean nearly choked on his beer. "What the hell? What next generation? We have teeny bopper hunters now?"

Sam laughed and sat back in his seat. "There are a few, yeah. The world went to Hell, Dean, literally. There are a ton of younger people out there who know what lurks in the shadows now and they have no idea what they're supposed to do about it. A lot of them end up dead. Garth and a few others are trying to find them, pair them up with hunters who can show them the ropes."

"And those hunters are supposed to be us?" God, what had their lives come to? Babysitting new hunters...

"If we're needed, yeah. We have everything they could possibly need to get a grasp of things and maybe live to see their thirties." Sam looked up with a 'You can't tell me this is a bad idea, Dean; you know we could make a difference and we have a chance of not unleashing another world crisis doing it' expression.

Dean sighed and headed to the kitchen, grabbing a case of beer to share. He dropped down into a chair next to Sam and lifted his legs to rest his feet on the table as he cracked open a fresh one. "So we're old enough to be put out to pasture now..."

Sam snorted and reached for his half-finished smoothie. "We're not that old."

"Feels like it sometimes."

Sam glanced at him with a soft sigh. "Yeah."

They drank in silence as the minutes ticked by.

"How's Cas?"

"Sleeping now." Dean swiveled his chair so he was facing Sam more directly. "So, who was on the phone?"

"What? Just a hunter." Sam looked back to his computer with an air of trying to look busy.

Dean smirked. "Uh huh. You were on the phone for a while... Telling someone how to gank a monster doesn't usually take that much time."

"Shut up, Dean."

Dean's smirk widened into a grin. "She sound cute?"

Sam sighed. "I'm not talking about this with you."

"Aw, c'mon Sammy.” He paused and eyed his brother a moment. “You know if you wanna take a trip to Oklahoma, I can watch the fort."

Sam stilled and almost looked like he wanted to take the offer, something Dean hadn't really expected. They must have really hit it off, or been talking before now. Come to think of it, Sam had been on the phone more often lately, but he'd chalked it up to setting up the whole network of hunters thing.

"Go."

Sam looked up at him. "You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. Go get 'em, tiger! You deserve to get laid."

Sam pulled a face and stood, closing his laptop. "It's not about sex, Dean."

Dean waved a hand. "If you say so. Get out of here."

"Stay out of my bedroom."

Dean just grinned and took another drink of his beer.


End file.
